On The Job: There breaks an umbrella, but help is at hand

With a BA degree with economics and geography as his major subjects, 42-year-old Chaudhary says it was not his first choice of work. “But, it is not easy to find a stable job with a decent pay despite educational qualifications. Here, I pay a rent of Rs 1,500 and earn over Rs 5,000 per month, enough only for sustenance,” he says. The modest shop doubles up as his “home” after work at 8 pm. He lives in Mumbai with his two teenage sons while the rest of his family is in his village. He is available for repair from 7 am.

“I began repairing umbrellas after observing others do it. It looks fairly simple and quick but requires a lot of skill. The most common complaint is of broken spokes. Repairing an umbrella ensures a blackened foot since we have to apply a lot of pressure to hold down the spring to set it right again. Other complaints include a broken handle or the main stick,” Chaudhary says.

“The problem is that since there are so many cheap umbrellas available in the market, people do not want to spend anything more than Rs 20 on repair. They think they would rather buy a new one. This has caused a lot of losses to us,” he says. “But there are customers, though very few, who come with their favourite umbrellas and want them repaired even if it takes a lot of money,” he says.